With the rapid development of communication technologies, mobile communication systems provide a packet service for enabling a multimedia service such as e-mail, still images, videos, and so forth, as well as a conventional voice service, to terminals.
So-called 3rd Generation (3G) mobile communication systems, which support both conventional voice service and the packet service, include a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) 2000 system using a synchronous scheme and a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) using an asynchronous scheme. The 3G mobile communication systems provide the multimedia service to the terminal through interworking with a particular network. In particular, the 3G mobile communication systems provide the multimedia service to the terminal by interworking with a communication network, an Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network that performs IP-based communication.
The mobile communication systems that interwork with the IMS network establish a Quality of Service (QoS) policy and charging rules for service usage and provide a service to terminals according to the established policy and charging rules. To this end, a Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) is provided with service information from an Application Function (AF) to create Policy and Charging Control (PCC) rules. The PCRF provides the created PCC rules to a Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF). Then, the PCEF provides a QoS corresponding to a service flow to the terminal based on the PCC rules.
To transmit and receive the PCC rules, the PCRF determines whether an IP provided from the PCEF is identical to an IP provided from the AF and, if both IPs are identical to each other, the PCRF forms a session between the PCRF and the PCEF and a session between the PCRF and the AF. This process is referred to as a PCRF session binding setting process.
If the PCRF session binding setting process is not normally completed in the PCRF, the PCC rules cannot be created. Hence, a need exists for a scheme capable of efficiently performing the PCRF session binding setting process regardless of which device is included in the mobile communication system.
The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the present disclosure.